Hon. Stanley F. Birch, Jr. (Ret.) served as a United States Circuit Judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals for over 20 years. During that time Judge Birch authored over 3,000 opinions for the court and participated in over 11,000 opinions as a panel member. Prior to service on the court, Judge Birch was an active trial attorney in private practice focusing on intellectual property and tax matters. Judge Birch’s book, A Unified Theory of Copyright, co-authored with Professor L. Ray Patterson, was published in 2009. In addition to his extensive mediation and arbitration experience as a JAMS Neutral, Judge Birch has also heard a number of mock oral arguments.

Case List

Registered neutral with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution

Instrumental in establishing the mediation office at the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Participated in the resolution of hundreds of civil disputes as reflected in the areas of law indicated below

Was a frequent advocate in commercial and securities law arbitrations while in private practice

Has heard hundreds of oral arguments before the Eleventh Circuit and has participated in numerous law school moot courts

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

· Recipient, Intellectual Property Legends Award, presented by the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Georgia State University Colleges of Business and Law, the Georgia Research Alliance, and the Intellectual Property Sections of the State Bar of Georgia and the Atlanta Bar Association, 2009

· Recipient, Leadership Award, Atlanta Bar Association, 2008

· Distinguished Alumnus of Calvert Hall (Baltimore) and The Emory University Law School, 2002

· Fellow, Georgia Bar Foundation

· Member, State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association, the Gainesville-Northeastern Bar Association, the Old Warhorse Lawyers Club, and the Lawyers Club of Atlanta

· Former member, Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia, of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Legal Services Program, and of the Board of Directors of the Federal Defender Program for the Northern District of Georgia

· Frequent speaker, including at the 36th Annual Donald C. Brace Lecture on the law of copyright, New York University School of Law, November 2006

o Author, Copyright Protection for Attorney Work Product, National Law Journal, 23 January 1989

Comments from Counsel from The Almanac of The Federal Judiciary

Lawyers’ Evaluations
From The Almanac of The Federal Judiciary, Aspen Publishers, 2010

· As to Judge Birch’s legal ability. “He is smart. I give him high marks for legal ability. He's a really good judge.” “He is very bright and knows the law.” “He has a very high level of legal ability.” “He is a very smart man, and an even smarter judge.” “He is an extremely bright man. He understands the practical side of being a lawyer.” “He is reasonably intelligent, with above average legal skills. He is a very good judge.” “He is extremely smart.” “He is a bright man with a comprehensive knowledge of the law.”

· As to Judge Birch’s courtroom demeanor. “His courtroom demeanor could not be better. He treats all with respect. Be prepared and follow all the rules.” “He has a good courtroom demeanor.” “He has the perfect decorum in the courtroom. He is a formal presence on a panel. He is nice and gets along well with lawyers.” “He is very formal on the bench. He has a good relationship with lawyers, but do not ever try and fool him.” “He is very congenial and not at all mean spirited.” “He is engaging and polite.” “He is courteous and has a good sense of humor.” “He is a jovial man.” “He has a perfect courtroom demeanor.” “He knows how to treat people.”

· As to Judge Birch’s style of questioning. “He stays on point in questioning and is very active. I am pleased with his grasp of cases and am always glad to see him on my panel.” “He likes to engage lawyers in legal banter. Know your case and treat the panel with respect. His questions are on the record and the law and he is active in his approach.” “He is not pushy at all. He asks very direct questions to which he expects answers in a non-evasive manner. His questions are always factual.” “Do not ever try and be evasive with him. Be prepared and know the law. His questions are always on the record and the law and he is active.” “He asks a lot of questions, all on the facts. He has a good time with legal banter with lawyers. He asks the right questions.” “Be prepared and know your case. He is never a trailblazer in his position. His questions go wherever he feels they have to. He is fairly active.” “He treats lawyers very fairly. Be overly prepared, he knows your case better than you know it. He is active and asks questions that are on point.” “If you take an unreasonable position he might browbeat you. He is result-oriented and has his mind made up going in. He is very active.”

· As to Judge Birch’s written opinions. “He writes good opinions in a scholarly manner.” “His opinions are succinct and well versed.” “He writes very conservative opinions.” “He issues well reasoned, scholarly opinions.” “His written opinions are right on the money.” “He writes opinions that stay on point and are not overly verbose.”

Education

Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 1990-2010

Partner, Vaughan, Davis, Birch & Murphy, Atlanta, GA, 1985-1990

Partner, Birch, Hartness & Link, Gainesville, GA, 1983-1985

Partner, Deal, Birch, Jarrard & Link, Gainesville, GA, 1976-1983

Board of Directors, Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc. (owner and licensor of The Cabbage Patch Kids® copyrights and trademarks), 1979-1988

LL.M, Master of Law in Taxation, Emory University School of Law, 1976

Law Clerk, Chief Judge Sidney O. Smith, Jr., U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia, 1972-1974

First Lieutenant, United States Army, 1970-1972 (Vietnam service, 5th Special Forces)